Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 4 b (Final)

There’s a force from underneath the dam that’s pulling me. I felt like jumping.

That’s what the Hoover Dam did to me. Was it acrophobia, the fear of height? Not quite. According to a physician I work for, I was dealing with angst; a German word for fear or anxiety, used in English to describe an intense feeling of strive. Angst normally means a nondirectional emotion. While acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights.

Done with Hoover Dam, we continued driving on the US Route 93. After about an hour, my ‘bottomless-stomach’ 6 years old son started to complain of being hungry. We saw a jerky store on the side of the road, it’s called freshjerky[dot]com. I thought, if they dare selling online, they must be pretty good, right? We went in and sampled some of their dried meat and fruit. Some of them sounded pretty nasty -ever heard of tuna jerky?- but after we tried it, it was actually edible and quite tasty. My favorite was the teriyaki beef and the dried mango.

Then the road trip continued to reach Williams, AZ. This town was picked as our base camp because it will only take us about half an hour to drive to the entrance of the Grand Canyon. We were debating whether or not to just drive to the South Rim area of the Canyon, which has accommodations too, so we don’t have to drive too far. But they were too pricey for our budget which was already depleted after losing thousand something dollars after the failed SE Asia trip plan (read the previous parts of this post). This small town lies on Route 66, and I haven’t been to any before. I watched the movie ‘Cars’ with the kids and since then always wanted to visit small towns on Route 66.

We booked a room at The Downtowner Motel. Everytime I heard the word ‘motel’, I can’t help but thinking of squeaky beds, smelly carpet, and loud heater/air-con. To my surprise, this one is completely presentable. We got the two bedrooms, one of each with very comfortable queen beds and flat screen TV on the wall. I thought it was going to have either a ‘mountain cabin’ decoration or tacky Route 66 memorabilia. It was not. Instead, the tastefully decorated cabin reminded me of a hip, urban-taste apartment of a big city. Normal motel would have one big undivided area of bedroom, living room, and a small kitchen/eating area altogether; this one was, again, has a big city apartment feeling to it; without a kitchen.

Done checking in, we went out to explore the town on foot in a 40-something degrees temperature. I was freezing my ass off. Hubby and the kids were fine, because they’re Iowans. Decided to go in a bar to warm up, met a very nice fellow who taught my 7 year old daughter, Davi, how to smooth her shuffleboard skill. This guy is everything you’d picture of a prospector. Very very nice. Drunk as heck, but nice. While Davi and I were in a shuffleboard match, Dante took Daddy up for a very intense game of cards: Go Fish.

Where to go for dinner, we wondered. The common American dine-in or hello… is that a Thai restaurant I see? We thought, in the spirit of Thailand, we should try the Thai restaurant, Dara Thai’s Cafe. When we entered the place, we found out that we’re the only customers. An alarm went off at the back of my brain, saying, “Bad choice. Don’t go here.” Of course, I ignored it. Made a small talk to the owner about how surprised I was to find a Thai restaurant in a place like this -small town, on Route 66, out of nowhere. Then she said that they were new, just a couple of months, and that they’re a chainThai restaurant. That alarm on my brain buzzed off again. All chain restaurants are mostly so-so, if not bad. Some people are fond of chain -international- restaurants, like Carlos O’ Kelly’s or Panda Express, or PF Chang. We are not. Our family prefers to go to a smaller but more authentic ones, even though it’s considered as a ‘dive restaurants’ to most Westerners. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I was right. The food was not very good, it was blah. After paying, we went for more walk, stopped at a gift/souvenir store with a scary robotic Santa by the front door.

The next morning, we woke up early and had a hearty American breakfast at the diner. Packed all the necessities to stay warm (hats, mittens, etc), filled up the gas tank, fully charged batteries for camera and video camera were ready to go, full tummy… we’re off to see one of World Heritage Sites! Being the ‘Gateway to the Grand Canyon’, Williams is conveniently located, it only took us 30 min to reach the Grand Canyon entrance.

We visited Grand Canyon’s South Rim instead of North, because it’s ‘friendlier’ to us. The North Rim, which I’m pretty sure has more stunning views, is more remote and only open in mid-May through mid-October. For a first timer like us, experiencing the Grand Canyon from the South Rim (also known as Grand Canyon Village) is not bad at all. It ismore touristy, because they have more lodgings (El Tovar Hotel is amazing!), shops, and easier accessibilities. Planning a visit? Do some research here first. Interested in doing the mule ride? Better be in shape since the shortest one takes about 7 hours!

There’s no words to describe how amazing this place is. The way nature just ‘carved’ this georgous place. How the force of water cut deeply through the rock, forming numerous steep-walled canyons. And to think how difficult that time was for the pioneers to explore this wilderness, and survived. I was glad to be able to see this place, and for my kids to experience it too.

With this spirit, we drove back to Vegas feeling better that this family vacation was not a big disappointment after all. So what if we couldn’t go to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and visit the Elephant Nature Park. To be able to go to Los Angeles, roaming the Hollywood Boulevard, watching shows in Las Vegas, and to see one of the world’s wonders Grand Canyon, was not a bad experience at all. So what if we couldn’t be in a 80 degrees weather while sunning at the beach wearing shorts and sandals. To be in a 30 degrees weather, bundled from head to toe with chattering teeth, I guess it’s okay too. All I wanted to do was to be home again.

So there we were, in Vegas again. Last minute reservation to the Desert Rose Resort (I highly recommend this place. Very very nice and close to the Strip) was made via cell phone on our way from Williams, AZ. They had one 2-bedroom suite available, thankfully. I went to bed hoping that tomorrow we’d be able to fly back home with no problems.

Unfortunately, the goddess of drama was not going to let go of us easily. Started with the ‘fine’ of $150 from the rental car place because we didn’t fill the tank up (it was 3/4 full). Then when we checked in at the airline’s desk at McCarran International airport, they told us that hubby was not listed to fly with us! What?! Evidenty, due to shuffling things around, the online booking rep did not book hubby with us. She booked him on a different flight! I couldn’t emphasize more clearly how frustrating that situation was for us. I was about to loose it, because the departure time for the three of us was approaching, but we dind’t have an answer for hubby yet. After a while, somebody with a higher rank stepped in and took care of us. Not only he was able to get hubby in the same flight with us with the same price, we were also able to seat close together. Phew!

This whole ‘drama’ does affect our decission-making capability when it comes to travel internationally. Because it seemed that no matter how we try to make alternative options, they ended up being a bite on the butt. I understand that the military coup in Bangkok was out of our hands, as well as hubby’s sickness. I just can’t help but feeling that we probably should stay put in the US for a while. But we all did have fun, because it’s not the destination or where you are, but who you’re with; and I’m still glad that I share this adventure with hubby and the kids.

Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 4 a

It was already late in the afternoon when we left Los Angeles for Las Vegas. I felt confident in doing this, road trip from LA to IA. We have everything ready for the kids in terms of the car ride: booster seats, something to keep them busy (Nintendo DS with bunch of games, books, an instant digital camera that can also take video, and games), and some snacks. By the time we’re on Interstate 15, the sun was starting to set. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery through the Mojave Desert. The transition between the mountainous area to the desert area were amazing, galloping next to us. I glanced to my side view mirror, there’s this amazing sight of the big orange sun surrounded by silhouettes of the mountain and the clouds, perfectly framed in the mirror. I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a picture of it. Carte Blanche thought this picture is sentimental. Awww…

 

leaving sunset behind

 

It was already pushing nine o’clock at night when we entered Vegas. After we check in to our hotel, we went out to the Strip. It was Friday night and the Strip was packed. The kids were wowed by the sea of people, the lights, the gigantic stuctures such as Luxor’s pyramid and the tall Statue of Liberty lady, and the cool cars roaming around especially the Hummer limo. It was hard to find parking in Vegas, the easiest way would be to go to hotels or shopping malls; in one of their ramps.

And so we did, after almost 45 minutes trapped in traffic and driving around the Strip, we ended up at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s parking ramp. We had to walk through the Miracle Mile Shops (inside PH’s Resort & Casino) in order to get out to the Strip. We walked around the Strip a bit, sightseeing, then stumbled upon Dante’s question, “I’m starving. Can we go eat?” Great. Late at night. At the Strip. Car’s parked few blocks away. Where to find a good place to eat? We were standing by the Harley Davidson Cafe at that time and could easily go in to eat like the other tourists do. But our family is pretty adventurous so when I saw the sign for Tamba Lounge for Indian cuisine, wesaid, “Heck yeah, that’s better.”

We were in luck that night since they’re doing ‘one night only’ buffet-style dinner. The restaurant was full with Indian families, which was a good sign. The room was warm and smelled so good, I was almost drooling. After we paid at the cashier, we were seated at a booth. The waiter took our drinks’ order, and then we’re off to attack the buffet. So much food, so many choices, and so hard to put everything I like into one plate. The kids’ favorite, of course, was the chicken tandoori; although they did try other vegetarian dish as well with no complain.

yummie chicken tandoori

Clearly satisfied with Tamba, we also experienced Lotus of Siam which was claimed as the best Thai restaurant in North America. Don’t judge a book by its cover is definitely applied to this restaurant. Located at an unassuming strip mall just east of the Strip (feels like in the middle of nowhere), the restaurant itself is just plain simple. Tons of reviews from any kind of magazines were posted on the wall, all praising the chef and owner, Saipin Chutima. Do order from the a la carte menu, skip the buffet, to see why this restaurant is the best there is.

 

    

 

When you’re in Vegas, you must see some shows. My only recommendation  would be to watch any Cirque du Soleil’s shows. This time, we went to see ‘KA‘. I fell in love with this entertainment company ever since I watched ‘Mystere’ (Treasure Island hotel, Vegas) almost 5 years ago, Saltimbanco (Paris) a year after that, then one of their smaller scale of musical shows when they were in Des Moines, IA, just six months after that. The show KA is housed at the MGM Grand, with magnificent stage and settings. The shop next to it was a fun place to look around. They have cool collection of hats and masks, beside other stuff. Walking in to the theatre was like entering a different world. Too bad that picture taking has always been forbidden in their main shows like this one, but I did sneakily took a couple of pics using my iPhone. The show was awesome, from the beginning to the end, with a spectacular ending that still gives me goose bumps everytime I think about it.

hats silliness

The next night, we went to see Nathan Burton Comedy Magic at the Flamingo. The kids seemed to like it, especially our son. I personally think it was kind of lame and pretty boring. I wouldn’t go back for a second time. After watching the show, we walked to the Bellagio to watch the water dance. Now that was cool!

At this time, hubby’s cold and sinus had went down into his lungs and he was suffering from the upper respiratory infection. He had fever on/off and started to cough. We were beginning to get skeptical about our long road trip plan. He’s not feeling well enough to drive, and my name wasn’t on the rental contract so if something bad might happen when I drive, we wouldn’t be covered.

‘Wasted’ 2 full days to wait for him to feel better. Ate out a lot, then went to see ‘Balto’ in 3D. In preparation for the trip to much colder place, we need to get some more warm clothing. Thanks to iPhone, we were able to pinpoint the nearest Target store from our hotel. Surprisingly, they don’t sell anything warmer than a wind breaker. We were planning to go up north to Salt Lake City and were looking for winter coats, mittens, and hats. They don’t have it, probably because they rarely have snow. So we ended up buying layered-clothing; sweaters and lightweight jackets.

Unfortunately, hubby’s not getting any better. From the sound of it, he’s either had bronchitis or pneumonia. He was coughing so hard, he hurt his back. He felt like shit. Impossible to drive long distance. He asked if we’d be upset to cancel the trip and just fly back home from Vegas after we go to see the Grand Canyon. The kids were kind of bummed, but I guess they’re used to it by now. So we booked yet another plane tickets from Vegas to Des Moines. Hubby was doing the bookings late at night again, coughing, and feeling feverish. Later on, this very moment will play a crucial part for yet another near-disaster experience.

On our way to Williams, AZ, we planned to make a stop at the Hoover Dam. What we didn’t plan was to stop at a hotel/casino in Boulder City for a heli ride! Hubby saw a sign for one and decided to ‘what-the-hell-never-done-it-why-not’ .  So we parked our car, register at the booth, hopped on a scale to be weigh, sign a consent form, then wait about 15-20 minutes. A minivan came by to pick us up to the heli pad, which is on top of a hill. Once we’re there, we waited for the pilot sign that it’s safe to approach and board the heli. Then I started to feel like backing up. Stomach felt knotted, legs were heavy. Silly old me agreed to be seated at the front, with Mr. Pilot, while hubby and the kids seat at the back.

davi's hanging on tight to dad

The heli started to leave the ground, then I noticed that I was surrounded by clear glass for the windows and the door. Felt like nothing was holding me but my seat. I found myself holding on so tight to the seat, especially when the heli started to fly up. My heart was pounding so fast, freaking out. The heli went up and down, sideways, and U-turn; it felt like being on a roller coaster on it’s waaay high up in the sky. We flew over the Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, also above the roads. It was so cool to see this little cars underneath us, also the swirly roads. Despite the fact that I was freaking out, I was managed to take some pictures and videos.

I passed the heli ride without peeing my pants. We then drove to the Hoover Dam to check it out. The four of us did the tour, which was very interesting and informative. We even took the elevator to go underneath the earth, exploring the tunnels and check out the cofferdam and the power plant. Done with the touring, we went outside to see the dam and oh my… the concrete work was impressive. To avoid cracking and crumbling, the dam was built in a series of interlocking trapezoidal columns. We also noticed that there was a construction going on over the dam, to built the Hoover Dam Bypass to provide much more highway capasity. See the pics here.

Done with the dam, we continued our journey to Williams, AZ to pay a visit to the Grand Canyon.

{To avoid a long and boring post, I decided to break this last part in half: Part 4 a for Vegas’ story and Part 4 b for Grand Canyon and closings}

Drama of the Year 2008 (Vacation Gone Wild) – Part 3

“WHY ARE YOU CURSING?”
“You’re not going to believe it. Come sit and watch this.”

At first I don’t understand, not going to believe what? As he turned the TV volume up,  I noticed that CNN was reporting live from Bangkok’s international airport, Suvarnabhumi. Apparently the political unrest was getting worse and the protesters shut down the airport. SHIT. We’re supposed to fly there tomorrow morning. I felt my knees were weakened by the news, I plopped down to the bed. The camera then panned left and right to show people (visitors) who were sitting on the floor of the airport with their luggages on their side. Stranded. Couldn’t get in or out of the airport. I bet they felt like Viktor Navorski (played by Tom Hanks) in the movie ‘The Terminal’. I let out a long, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“We have to cancel out trip tomorrow.”
“All of them?”
“Diny…”
“Sorry.”

Then it’s the same nightmare all over again. Frantic calls to the airline people. Was put on hold for ages. Argumentation with the rep about getting some money back because this was not our fault. Adviced to file a ‘dispute’ which will take time to be resolved; in the mean time we just have to say goodbye to some thousand dollars (airline tickets, hotel reservation, tour groups, etc) and hopefully will get a little portion of it back. Long distance call to Indonesia to tell my mom and brother that the trip was cancelled. Again.

An emergency family meeting was called in. Hubby explained what happened to the kids, that we’re not going to Asia thus not able to see grandma Rose and uncle Putra. The kids were not too disappointed at this point. Probably due to the fact that they’re not at home in Iowa anymore, therefore having flew in an airplane twice yesterday and to be physically in a hotel in LA was already like ‘the’ vacation for them. Besides, my daughter was not feeling very well. She was too congested to process this information.

So now, the question was: should we go back home to Iowa like a bunch of losers just because our major trip just got cancelled? Or should we raise up and make the best of it like an adventurous family that we are? I was broken hearted for the second time, and hubby felt so bad about it. He was trying to make it out for me. Keep in mind, later on, with what’s going to happen even more, I wish he hadn’t.

Some options he gave us: (1) Fly back to Iowa the next morning for USD 1,600, (2) Stay for another 10 days in LA or around and then fly home to Iowa for only USD 600, or (3) rent a car and take a road trip from Los Angeles to Iowa; stopping at big cities or main tourist attraction such as national parks.

At first, the kids and I opted for option #2. We would like to go to Disneyland, but hubby didn’t. “Could you guys go some other time without me?” After further discussion, we all agreed to take option #3. After all, we’re an adventorous family *snicker; look where it got us now* Plus, we’ve never taken a road trip across USA as a family. My husband and I did it eight years ago, driving from Iowa to Colorado. But this time, it’ll be longer thus more places to see. We looked on the map and planned the route. From LA, we were going to drive to the state of Nevada to visit Las Vegas and check out Hoover Dam. From there, we’d hop to the state of Arizona to witness the awesomeness of Grand Canyon, then drive up north to Salt Lake City, UT. Working our way east,  we’d continue our road trip to the state of Wyoming to meet the Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park. Continued to South Dakota state to be amazed by the Badlands National Park, then to good ol’ Iowa.

Of course, I have to be concern about a number of things for this road trip to success. Firstly, what kind of car should we rent that would fit into our budget yet will do the job? Dollar Rent A Car gave us a sweet deal. We originally purchased the package for the mid-size SUV which comes with Jeep Liberty. But when the agent realize we’d be travelling long distance with a possibility of driving up to the mountains/national parks, she told us to go to a certain part of the big the parking area where the rental cars were parked, and pick a better car. Besides, our luggage won’t fit in that card.

After circling the area around, we didn’t think that the other cars were better than Jeep Liberty. Then a big SUV approached, and a guy in a nice suit asked if we’d need a help. We explained what’s going on and he said, “Wait here, I’ll see what I can do.” Ten minutes after that, he came back driving a Chevy Aspen. “I think this is the best one for your trip. It’s new and was just under inspection recently.” I looked at the midnight blue-colored big ass SUV and I could’ve sworn I heard an angelic choir with a light shined through the cludy clouds. All four of us got in and instantly a unison “Whoaaaa…” was heard. It was like riding in a living room. Mind you, I drive a clown car, a Scion XA; while hubby drives a hybrid Toyota Highlander. As much as we hate to ride on this gigantic gas guzzler, it’s probably good for the safety. Thus, a trip to a nearby Walmart to purchase two car seat boosters.

I worry too much. After I worried about the type of car we should be driving, I also worry about what the kids are going to do in that long car ride. We didn’t bring a lot of books or games. Hubby came up with an idea to get them ‘the ultimate entertainment system’ for a long car ride. Books? Heck no!  Those are so yesterday, though I would personally like it. I’m talking about the portable game. We Google’d a nerby game store (thanks to the iPhone map system) and bought two Nintendo DS with the chargers and some used games. We got a, “Thanks, Mom and Dad! You guys are the best parents in the whole wide world!” from the kids. Even after we told them that it’s part of their Holiday present, they were still excited.

Then I got all fidgety about the fact that we’d be traveling north to a colder area, Salt Lake City. Since all I packed was short sleeve shirts, shorts, and sandals (well d’uh, I thought we were going to Thailand and Indonesia), with only a pair of jeans and sweater we were wearing when we left Iowa, I told hubby that we’d need to get more warmer clothes. But he said we should wait until we got to Las Vegas.

Done with the planning, we finally decide to relax and really act like we’re on vacation. We drove to the Hollywood Boulevard that second night (Nov 27th) we’re in Los Angeles. I’ve always thought that Hollywood Boulevard would be so extravagant and glamorousI was almost disappointed when I got there. Just a long road (boulevard) with pretty lights and neons on, with some cool buildings like the Mann’s Chinese Theatre. This place is well known for the hand/foot prints of big names in Hollywood. Along the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard, you could also see celebrities’ stars. I guess the Disney’s Studio Store and Soda Fountain was pretty neat as well. The ceiling of the Studio Store, the front area (above the ticket booth) was intricately red. We were ‘lured’ to go in to the Soda Fountain, to try the ice cream which recipe was dated back to 100 years ago. Sure was yummie!

We saw a lot of people in costumes. My daughter asked why those people were doing that, it’s not even Halloween. I told her that they’re dressing up as characters from Hollywood movies to attract people to take pictures with them, by paying a couple of bucks. We then went to see the Hollywood Wax Museum, the Guinness World Record Museum, and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. The Wax Museum has a scarry section which I wouldn’t recommend for kids under 12 years old. I almost crapped my pants myself! Scarry displays from a various horror movies were shown, and also scarry characters from the horror movie. I like to watch horror and scarry movies, but not too fancy about getting to close to the wax version of Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) or Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th).

See more photos here.

Sure started to feel like a vacation. As I was starting to feel relax, hubby’s cold had turned into an upper respiratory infection. He started to complain his chest’s hurting. Is this s a sign for another vacation disaster? Find out in ‘Vacation Gone Wild part 4′, the final part.

… to be continued…

I’m Back

Just got back from vacation. Unfortunately, not THE vacation I had hoped for to the Southeast Asia as Bangkok was our destination, and everything was falling apart there. What did our family of four do, then? Did it really get cancelled twice? Did their fight against the airline agencies for a return money/reroute go well? Did they get stranded somewhere and had to come up for plan B? Did the plan B go well or did it fall apart and they had to come up with a plan C? Who got sick and ‘mess’ everything all up? Did somebody mention a heli ride? Who vowed not to make a travel plan ever again? 

Find out more [after I regain my balance, unpack, and do laundry]…

Flood Season?

Felt like we just got done with Winter. Snowstorm, snow and sleet, snow this, and snow that. We were bombarded with the snow, it made the transition from Winter to Spring rather unnoticeable. I honestly felt like Spring was not going to happen at all.

And now, while Spring is finally here [and almost gone], it was not behaving nicely either. Apparently Lady Spring thought, “Well, if Father Winter could do it, I can too!” And swoosh… came down the rain. Lots and lots of them. Four to even seven days straight full water/hail pouring down from the sky. Our county has gone from thunderstorm watch, thunderstorm warning, flood watch, flood warning, flash flood watch, flash flood warning, tornado watch, and tornado warning. Because of the thunderstorms at night, the kids have been sleeping with me (including Max, our pet) while Dad evacuated himself to the basement. The four of us on my bed curled up like shrimps, close to each other, with our heads under the pillows; attempted to reduce the boom! noise and the bright lightning. 

Midwest has been hit the worst by the rain. Iowa, mostly. Many places were either flooded or hit by a tornado. Late May, a tornado hit Parkersburg, IA; killed 7 people and injured at least 50 people. Parkersburg is about 83 miles from Ames -the town we live in- and only 30 miles away from where my in-laws live: Denver, IA. One of my husband’s cousins live there and her house was flattened by the tornado and is now homeless. Looking at the aerial picture of Parkersburg after being hit (or video)was like looking at a demolished war zone. No buildings remain, just piles of debris. One could not tell where downtown was anymore, or location of houses. Can’t quite tell where one used to live, because the street name was blown away and other landmarks were destroyed.

About a couple of weeks later, a twister hit Little Sioux Scout Ranch (advanced Boys Scout camp) in western Iowa, near Nebraska state line. The twister struck as Iowa, like other midwestern states, was dealing with severe flooding along the upper Mississippi River. Four children were killed, while 40 were injured. From what I read, there was a group of scouts who were out hiking at the time of disaster. Seriously, weren’t they aware that bad weather is approaching? Don’t they have some kind of weather alert system, radio, or TV? But I guess there’s no point in questioning all this. Don’t cry over spilt milk, they said. 

The overflow Cedar River forced Cedar Rapids, IA, to evacuate the Mercy Medical Center hospital. Isn’t that crazy? How’d you able to evacuate hundreds of patients in a hurry? Post op patients, elderly patients, patients on wheelchairs, not to mention complicated ones; what a frantic situation I bet it was. The engorged river flowed through Cedar Rapids’ downtown. Hundreds of city blocks were under water, and in some neighborhoods the water was 8 feet high.

Des Moines, Iowa’s capital city, was also flooded. Many of its resident left after a voluntary evacuation request issued on Friday, June 13. So was Burlington, Coralville, Davenport, Iowa City, and more.

The town we live in, Ames, was not flooded as bad as those towns. ‘Just’ a golf course and a couple of streets/parks were flooded. I was actually driving on one of the main road one day, going from work to downtown. I was amazed when I drove back for the same route, the road was closed because it was flooded. I was just driving on it 35 minutes ago and it was fine! The raging South Skunk River was just overflowing so fast, the officials weren’t anticipating it at all, I guess. Judging from the last minute road closed and traffic detour. What usually takes 15 minutes ended up being a 45 minutes deal due to traffic.

   

Last Saturday we went on road trip ’to see the flood’. I know it sounded sad, but we were just intrigued. We heard that the U.S. Highway 30 between Boone and Ogden had to be closed because of the flood. We usually drove on that road to go to a state park, and the scenery around it is so pretty. Not boring flat or corn field-y like most of Central Iowa’s scenery, but hilly and curvy. We weren’t the only ones who were touristing the sites, others too. They were just watching… being a curious human being. Some were taking pictures/videos, and some went kanoeing! I couldn’t believe it… some people were actually took their canoe, loaded it up on top of their vehicles, took their kids along with them, drove there, and went kanoeing! That’s pretty risky, I thought.

Now that the rain had stopped pouring like crazy, the flood had decreased little by little. Everybody’s question is now, “What’s in the water?” Other than mud, there’s some scary shit stuff in it like naxious brew of sewage, farm chemicals and fuel. I read somewhere in the paper that the water just reeked of pig feces and diesel fuel in Oakville. Ugh, I couldn’t even imagine how horrible that is.

What about the stress level? Your belongings are destroyed or long gone, you have to live in a shelter (mostly a high school gym) with strangers, the worn out volunteer and Iowa National Guard who was working on the levees, you either still have to clean up your super messy house or find a way to rebuild your house, your medications were swept away by the flood, questionable of safe water to drink, tetanus from the nasty water if they got a cut/laceration, and not to mention mosquitos.

How stressful. It’s probably not as bad as The Great Midwest Flood 1993, but still…

PS: Thanks to the writer, for your concerned comment in my ‘Saya’ page. We’re safe and fine. Our part of Iowa is on a higher ground. 

Stomach of Steel

Being born and raised in Indonesia, I have the stomach of steel. Meaning I’m used to eat any food that’s been left out (and cooked, of course) for more than a couple of hours without getting sick. Before you say ‘eeewww‘ and crinkle your nose, hear this out. Since we were kids, we’ve been fed food that’s been on the table or cupboard for a while, after it’s being cooked. At home, school’s cafetaria (kantin), and small local restaurants or the street vendors. We were ‘introduced’ to bacteria at such a young age.

Having lived in the US only for 8 years, my intestines were being pampered with the better hygiene that they have here. When I flew back home to Indonesia in 2006, I had a mild diarrhea at the end of my trip. I was hesitant to go to my favourite food street vendor in Jakarta (Sate Ayam Pondok Indah), but I was longing for it and even had a dream about it. But my stomach of steel had helped me going through eating in other countries’ road side food.

The only ‘bad’ thing about it is; I tend to forget that some people don’t have the stomach of steel and they tend to be very cautious to go anywhere in the world that is less ’safe’ and ’clean’ as the US. Working in a medical clinic who also provides travel medicine service, I came across a lot of travellers who are hesitant to go to a ‘poor’ country. Our travel clinic provides pre-travel counselling, immunization advice and delivery, and also immunization certificates (yellow fever). Before I work here, I didn’t know that there is such thing as travel clinic. I didn’t know that yellow fever vaccination is required for countries like Brazil, Paraguay, Angola, and some others.

Personally, I have nothing to worry about to go to places like Mexico or the Caribbeans. I’ll be fine eating their food and won’t fuss about vaccination. But this is not the case for others. Even the most touristy places are questioned by them,”Is there any vaccination needed for Playa del Carmen, Mexico?” 

My smart-ass state of mind would blurt out, “Duh… no. It’s a touristy destination, just like going to Miami, Florida.”

But fortunately I was able to bite my tongue and keep my manner (otherwise I’d be fired by now). The ones that I couldn’t comprehend are, “We’re leaving to Tokyo then Singapore next month. Do we need any vaccinations?” and “Do you guys know if I need to worry about the water condition in Dublin, Ireland? Should we get a typhoid injection or prescription before we go?“

As an avid traveller myself, I’d go places in a heartbeat if money and time aren’t the issue. That’s why I sometime tend to advise patients not to hesitate to travel and not to be so worked up about vaccinations. Just last week, a 60-something old lady called because she’s  travelling to Peru with her husband but was too freaked out when she find out 2 or 3 different vaccinations are needed (plus a malaria prescription). I spent 20 minutes on the phone consoling her. 

“Oh my goodness gracious. Hepatitis A, typhoid, yellow fever, and malaria prescription? Oh this is too much. And I need to have this 3 weeks before leaving? Oh my word… we’re leaving in a week. The travel agent said I won’t need anything,” she said all this in one breath!

Then I explained to her, depending on which area she’s visiting in Peru, she might not need the yellow fever or malaria. She then asked me to hold on while she’s looking for her printed itinerary from the travel agent. I usually am the one who put callers on hold, not the other way around, he he. After a while, she’s finally back on the phone and read me her itinerary from Day 1 to Day 4! Double checking with the CDC website, I was sure that she’s not going to need malaria and yellow fever. Then she questioned what’s the use for Hepatitis A vaccine for. I explained that it’s for precaution for virus which is most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water.

That’s when she panicked, “Oh no… this is not good. I don’t want to go to a poor country and get sick. Oh my, I better tell my husband I’m not going.”

I felt really bad for her. I told her not to worry because she’s staying in an Americanized hotel; not in a local home. Just don’t drink tap water. Then she went on and on about the quality of the lettuce of the salad which probably would be provided by the hotel. I told her not to worry so much, just enjoy Peru and go to to the Macchu Picchu. This is where I was thinking for myself. I was wanting to scream, “C’mon already, just go. Don’t fret so much. I’ll go if you don’t want to.” But I didn’t. I understand that for some people, ‘differences’ could be very scary. Just like James Michener, an American author, said: “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”

… and she did. 

Mexcaltitan: Journey to the End of the World

Day 7 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 19, 2007 

As exaggerating as it may sound, finding Mexcaltitan felt like a journey to the end of the world. We drove and drove, and drove some more. We finally got to Mexcaltitan after 5 hours driving from Puerto Vallarta (made a few pit stops to at Bucherias and Puerto Vallarta Zoo; more on separate posting). Mexcaltitan is high on our list of places to visit while we’re in Mexico. Heard that this place is funky, as far as being a man-made island/city in the middle of a big swamp. I read here that it was the birthplace of the Aztecs. In 1091, some of them went out on a pilgrimage to find a new home. They should settle when they eyed an eagle devouring a snake, perched atop a cactus in the middle of a lake, says this site. And that place is Tenochtitlan, which is known today as Mexico City.

The other funky thing was -and I don’t remember where I got this info- the nothingness of motor vehicles on this island/city. There are no cars. People walk, or use their boats for transportation from and to Mexcaltitan. When it’s flooded, boats are used on the island, hence the name ‘Venice of Mexico’.

 

How does one reach Mexcaltitan? I posted this question at Lonely Planet’s forum before we left for Mexico, and got these replies. We did take the Hwy 200 from Puerto Vallarta, and the road condition was good. We were stuck in a traffic in a small town (almost to Tepic) for almost an hour. We didn’t realize that it was Mexico’s Independence Day and just like the Fourth of July in the USA, it was a huge deal. Schoolchildren were parading, and the Hwy 200 which goes through this little town seemed to be one-way and rather narrow. Nobody could turn around to find a detour. Cars were literally stopped and put on ‘Park’ for quite a while. We got out of the car and walked for about 4 blocks, to watch the parade. It was over an hour later, cleared the traffic, and we moved on.

When we saw the sign of Santiago Ixcuintla, I thought the journey was almost over. Because this is the ending point of driving. We should hop on a boat to the island of Mexcaltitan. Sound easy? Not really. We were lost in this little town. There were only one sign that says ‘Mexcaltitan’, but it was misguiding. We drove around and around, and asking direction was quite a challenge. Either we couldn’t find anybody, “no habla Ingles”, or they didn’t know how to get there. Our common sense and instinct were really challenged, tried to find the boat dock. Later on we realized, we’re not on a paved road anymore. In front of us, was a vaquero on his horse, herding the cattle. Slowly, but surely, the cows moved and opened an opening for us. The kids waved at the vaquero, he tipped his hat, and off we go to the end of the world.

 

After all hope was almost vanished, we finally see the entrance of the boat deck. No visitor cars in sight, only a pick up truck by a small building which appeared to be an office. It could be the worker’s truck. So we parked, stretched our legs, walked around under the hot sun, talked to the man in charge, paid for the boat, then hopped on a boat (fisherman’s boat, mind you… don’t expect anything fancy). If I’m not mistaken, it was US$ 20 per adult.

About 10-15 minutes boat ride on a brown swamp water, we approached a water gate (only one boat could pass through it) and quickly noticed the number of poles sticking out of the water. They’re actually electrical lights, built as an aide to guide boats. After the last light pole, you’d see an island in front of you (with smaller ones scattered around it). Instantly, I noticed the buildings, the church, and lots of white herons. We asked the boatman if he could take us on a little tour before we’re docking. Definitely not the usual tourist sightings, not very pretty. But hey… we’re not in Florida, we quickly adjusted our expectation to the swampy environment.

  

 Right after we docked, the sign says ‘Bienvenidos a la Isla de Mexcaltitan’ and in front of us, an alley to go to the town square. The street’s not paved, it’s dirt, and about 3 feet below the sidewalk. On the left and right, were local houses. We walked passed them, tried not to be too snoopy. But with a window open or a door ajar, my curiosity made me look. While still trying to be casual, I peeked into their houses and caught a glimpse of what/how is life on this island. Mainly the houses have concrete floors, and a room serves multi purposes, judging by the presence of a bed, chairs, TV, and what seemed to be a dining table. Although one room’s stuffed with so many things, I don’t think they’re pack rats; just lack of storage, I guess.

  

The town square, which is located right in the middle of the island, has a plaza, some small stores, a church, and a museum. There were also a number of kiosks that sell knick-knacks and tourist items, such as Mexcaltitan posters/postcards. When we got there the museum was closed for siesta. We had to wait for a couple of hours for it to open. We opted to go to the only restaurant to hang out. On our way there, I saw some shrimps were drying in the sun on the sidewalk. This is also a common sight, so watch your step…

The restaurant was interesting. The appetizer was actually the dried shrimp we saw earlier on the ground. Of course, it’s been cooked and seasoned. Yet, I was the only one who could manage to eat it. The rest of the gang wasn’t so sure about it. The airy restaurant has an open view to the, er… swamp. The patrons didn’t really mind eating and looking at the brown swamp water. Not even us, the only foreigners; the key is not to look at it.

About 15 minutes for the museum to reopen, we started walking to the town square. Children were playing around the plaza. They were playing a similar game to marbles. Only, they used round chip-thingy instead of marbles. Some girls were playing firecrackers, laughing out loud and running around. The museum itself, Museo del Origen, was rather small but informative. My favorite was the murals explaining the origin of Aztecs and its pilgrimate.

The day was almost over, we should go back to the dock to meet our boatman and continue the long way back to Puerto Vallarta. Awkwardly walked through a mass that was held outside on the street, managed to snatch a picture of a man fixing his fish net. It was an okay experience. The ride was too long, we should’ve cut it in half. Maybe spend a night in Tepic or Mazatlan. It was worth it, though. Not too often you could visit an island with only 2000 population in the middle of a swamp, where some of its people never set foot to the outside world.

 

 

… See my Tabblo>

San Sebastian: Ex Mining Town Locked In Time

Days 5 and 6 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 17 and 18, 2007.

We didn’t do anything much on Saturday. We could use a break from road trips, actually. The kids spent their morning at the swimming pool, then we’re heading to downtown Puerto Vallarta. Doug wanted to watch the Iowa football game and had found this sport bar in the Romantic Zone of downtown PV. Although ‘Romantic Zone’ sounded rather shady (I thought), there’s nothing to worry; just bunch of cool restaurants and bars.

Sunday, time for another side trip: to San Sebastian up on a mountain. Historic, original, and unheard of. A perfect destination. Not much information I know about this place beforehand, other than: it was the center of mining operations back in the 16th century (thus the doubled population -is now estimated to 600 people), and located up in the mountain locked in time along with the beautiful old architectures. Actually for this particular reason, San Sebastian is tentatively listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage. Here’s the reasoning.

So, on a fine Sunday late morning, we drove from PV up to the Sierra Madre. The road condition (Highway MEX 200) is good, although some warnings applied; like ‘watch out for the falling rocks’ and ’slippery in rainy season’. The scenery up in the Sierra Madre was gorgeous, a mix of tropical and dry vegetation. There was a military check point before we went up the mountain where we were asked whether or not we’re bringing any kind of vegetables, fruits, etc in the car. If you do, you need to give those up to them before you can proceed. I’m guessing it was done for San Sebastian’s sake? They do have a coffee plantation up there.

After a couple of hours, we saw the welcome sign of San Sebastian. The Highway then continued to a gravel road, up and down, and  narrow too. After the final turn and  we couldn’t go anywhere else, the road turned into a skinny narrow pavement which brings us in to the town square. The weather was cooler, although for Iowans like us, won’t require any jackets or sweaters at all. The sun was playing hide and seek with us; I had to adjust my camera setting to ’sunny’ and ‘cloudy’ numerous times.

  

After we park in front of a police station, we walked in to a cute small restaurant for a quick lunch for the kids. The restaurant was colorful, artistic and has a delicious spaghetti  marinara. As the kids were eating, I walked around the town square. The center of the square is a plaza surrounded by roses and a gazebo right in the middle. Vicinities around the town squares varied from an old hotel, restaurants, small local shops, ATV rental, bars, a tourist information, and the police station. The ATV is a good option to navigate this town, as its hilly roads would tire your feet quickly.

Done with their lunch, we toured the town with a fast realization that we were the only American tourists. Mostly Mexicans from other side of the island, they were all as intrigued as us the whites (well, Asian for me). The residents of San Sebastian didn’t seem too bothered by the tourists at all. They continued doing their routines; some vaqueros (Mexican cowboy) with a tequila bottle on their hand talking loudly, the elderly grouping somewhere else, kids playing soccer at the school yard.

Not much of a churchgoer myself, I admire an astonishing one. San Sebastian’s church may be old in age, but it was well kept and well preserved. Its white and light blue interior wall goes together with the gold detailing.

  

The paved path of the road entwined endlessly, lead us in seeing local homes with their windows open thus making us curiously peeking into it. We stopped at a local artisan’s shop and walked away with a silver ring for my daughter, which the material was locally mined. Unable to walk as far as the mine center, I later found out from my father-in-law who went, that there’s a nicer and bigger hotel at the mine center. Just another 15 minutes walking distance from the town, the mine center even has its own underground tunnel system. Big names like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were there.

  

What strikes me the most about this town is, its ability to somehow lock itself in time and keeping everything from the old days to stay almost the same. Most of the haciendas were still in good condition. The combination of original stone pavements, magenta-white color for the plastered mud-brick walls, archways, plus wooden and tile roofs; all of these contributed in giving San Sebastian it’s own characteristic.

I sure hope this town would get more attention from the outside world without going into too commercialized. I sure didn’t get any tacky souvenirs like annoying T-shirts or stickers that say ‘I was in San Sebastian del Oeste’.

Las Marietas: Blue-footed Booby and Crazy Fish

Day 4 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 16, 2007. 

Snorkeling has always been on our to-do-list whenever we visit a tropical country. Even if we have to haul an extra luggage, which was a large duffel bag packed with the snorkeling gear. Although it’s always an option to rent these stuff at the place of destination (most  touristy places are more thank likely to have a rental shop by the beach), we prefer to use our own. The thought of using a snorkel used by a stranger is not very appealing to me. Plus, I have a prescription mask. Can’t see clearly without it.

When we were here on Day 2 of our vacation, we were offered by a local rental owner to go check out the best snorkel and dive destination around here. It’s called Las Marietas or Marietas Islands. From his description, it sounded like it was THE place to go. There shouldn’t be any hesitation on our part, except for this: it is only accessible by sea. I don’t handle motion sickness very well; especially at the sea, and that was proofen by some occasions here and there. Be it a 2-hour boat trip on a tiny fiberglass fisherman’s boat from Treasure Island to the tiny Sunny Island in Jamaica, or on a speedy ferry when we did parasailing in Negril, or even in a submarine when we were at St. Martin.

Today we’re back to Punta de Mita to take up on that offer. I took some Dramamine an hour prior hopping on the boat to help ease the motion sickness. I wasn’t sure if it was because of that, or the view along the boat ride that helped me. Beautiful sky, ocean wasn’t so rough, and a surprise sight of dolphins. I was so psyched seeing dolphins so close (about 50 meters) in the wild instead of zoo. We counted 5 or 6 of them, swimming up and down near and around our boat. The boatman even stopped the engine so the boat would be still (great chance for picture taking, but making me a little queasy -it was worth it). A couple of dolphins got curious and they were circling our boat; I could almost touch its dorsal fin.

 

It only took no more than 20 minutes to get to the islands. Getting closer and closer, it was being in a documentary movie, or a pre-historic era, for my lack of experience. The islands have rocky terrain with so many caves. There was only one secluded beach possible for a boat to dock, but too far out. Probably a hundred meters away with waist-deep water, too deep for the kids. So we didn’t land, but continue to explore the islands instead.

So many seabirds inhabit these islands, but one species captured my attention the most. Short and funny looking, it has a long neck, sharp bill, and bright blue feet.  Its feather are brown on the wings, and its head and neck are brown with black streaks. The rest of the body is white. Later on I found out they’re called the Blue-footed Booby. They can also be found on the Galapagos islands.

Then the boatman took us to the snorkel site by the coral reefs. My husband Doug and my 6-year-old Davi went in the water, followed by my dad-in-law Jay. I wanted to go in but I freaked out because it’s so deep and I tend to get an anxiety attack if I couldn’t see or touch the bottom. My 5-year-old Dante refused to go in the water anyway, so we stayed on the boat. We had brough some bread with us to feed the fish. Our boatman had an idea to put the bread in an empty plastic water bootle. He added a bit of water, enough to make the bread soggy. He then threw the bottle to Doug, leaving it open. Doug handed it to Davi, I guess he was hoping for Davi to encounter some fish. Not only she did, but she was literally attacked by the fish (and seabirds!) fighting over the bread in the bottle. Davi freaked out and threw the bottle away. The bottle then float on the water, with the seabirds and fish kept on fighting over it. It was such a sight for the three of us on the boat, if only I captured it as a movie. Our boatman yelled, “Crazy fish!” so many times and couldn’t stop laughing I tought he was going to fall out of the boat. 

Right after that life-threatening episode, Davi decided to quit and climbed on the boat to join us. She said it was the scariest thing ever and not interested in going back in the water ever. Yea right, li’l Miss Drama. Doug and Jay joined us ahortly after, then it was time to go back. For $50 buck each (adult only, kids are free) and 2 hour experience, I though it was worth it. My only regret was not snorkeling. Other than that, I’m glad we went to Las Marietas.

Surf’s Up at Sayulita

Day 3 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 15, 2007.

  

Another  road trip up north today. Destination: Sayulita. Another fun driving on the curvy mountaineous part of MEX 200 Highway. Sayulita is a small fishing village but definitely is ready for tourism. I saw at least one hotel, a lot of little restaurants, a couple of beachside restaurants with its own surf rental/shop, an art gallery, a couple of knick-knack stores, a salon (Dante and dad got their hair cut there), a money changer, and an internet cafe. It’s pretty easy to orient yourself here too, just use the town plaza as a landmark and you’d be fine.

Known for its rivermouth surfbreak, Sayulita has becoming a popular off-the-beaten-path destination for people who are visiting Puerto Vallarta. There are two surf spots in Sayulita; a right (longboard) break in front of the village and a left (faster) break in front of the campground. Wetsuit is never needed here since the water is warm; but if you do like early morning surfing, they said you’d probably want to bring your rashguard due to the morning breezes.

Definitely do not let your little ones go in the water alone. The four of us were going to do bodysurf, were holding hands, still the waves was too strong for Davi who is 6 1/2 and Dante who is 5. They got pushed by the wave, knocked down under water,  and both did not like that at all so they don’t want to do bodysurfing anymore. They preferred to be safe and played at the beach for the rest of the day. Although Davi, being a water creature that she is, couldn’t resist the water and went in just to dip her little feet every now and then.

All in all, I think Sayulita is a great place to go; especially if you have teenagers. I saw a girl who’s probably 10 year old, was learning to surf. It was so cool. That could be Davi in four years, he he he.